It was in Spring 2003 that an article appeared in Bollington Live! about the threatened closure of St John’s church on Church Street. Our worst fears came to pass and the building has remained empty and unused for some time now. That article ended with the suggestion that the future of the church and the graveyard was a project that the Civic Society should tackle.
Various rumours have been circulating about the 1834 building, with views ranging from its potential to be developed for flats, as a heritage centre, as a larger location for the Bridgend (formerly Drop in) Centre or its partial demolition to produce an attractive open space with a better managed and improved graveyard. We are sure that many have thought of other ideas, but whatever they are they will have to be financially viable. In 2003 a brief was prepared for a thorough feasibility study to look into the options, but nothing was progressed at that time. (Look at the brief)
The Bollington Civic Society considers that now is the time for the local community to come together to try to formulate a plan of action that would resolve the issues, before the building deteriorates further, or is vandalised, is the subject of a fire or is developed by a private developer in a way that the community does not want.
Graham Barrow
Chairman
Bollington Civic Society
'Friends of St John's Church'
In order to gain a wider interest the Civic Society called a public meeting on 3rd April 2008 - 60 people turned up! The 'Friends of St John's Church' was established as a sub-committee of Bollington Civic Society.
Minutes of the neeting
The Friends have subsequently met and a further meeting has also been arranged.
Minutes of Friends meeting, 15 April 2008
If you wish to contribute to this committee please email the Secretary, David Haddleton.
Interior view - the chairs have been removed but much else remains
